The Moving Finger Writes. Or in This Case, Maybe Not...

So yesterday I was working on a piece for Box Office that had something vaguely to do with Zager and Evans' still laughable mega-hit "In the Year 2525," and I had occasion to check out the Z&E entry at Wiki.

When this little tidbit caught my eye.

The band signed with RCA Records, who claimed they were "The Next Big Thing," but follow-up singles, such as "Mr. Turnkey" (a song about a rapist who nails his own wrist to the jail wall as punishment for his crime) achieved only minor success.

And I thought -- well, obviously I need to hear that one.

Mr. Turnkey, it's 10pm in Wichita Falls
August 16, 1969 and I'm in some bar
Mr. Turnkey, I need a woman and I'm ain't getting far
I never was the kind of man a woman looked for

But Mr Turnkey, she looked at me with flirting eyes
Mr. Turnkey, she was lovelier than oil lights
Mr. Turnkey, she led me on, she led me on,
She knew she wasn't going to let me love her

Mr. Turnkey, there's been a rape in Wichita Falls
Mr. Turnkey, I'm sitting here crying in my coveralls
Mr. Turnkey, I don't want to be the man I am
Mr. Turnkey, I'm calling from block number four
Mr. Turnkey, you ain't never seen nothing like this before
Mr. Turnkey, I nailed my left wrist to your wall, I'm going home

Mr. Turnkey, I'm calling from block number four
Mr. Turnkey, I ain't got the strength to call once more
Mr. Turnkey, I'm crying, hanging here dying
Tell her I'm sorry

I'm speechless, frankly.